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soil ph testing

G

Guest

u could test the soil run off with those test strips. water the plants with straight water till u get a bit of run off then test that
 
G

Guest

General hydroponics Ph test kit is what you want to use,if you use a tablespoon of dolomite lime per gallon soil mix your soil ph will stay near neutral regardless of nutrient ph,although balancing nute ph is always best,I'm not even sure its necessary when dolomite is present and mixed in good in the soil
 
Blackvelvet

Blackvelvet

Member
Two ways to test soil ph:

Take the plant out of the pot carefully. Scrape 1/4 cup soil mix off the root zone taking care not to damage the plant. Mix this with 1/4 cup distilled water. Stir. Wait 30 minutes. Test this ph.

Another method and easier way to test is called pour through. After you have watered/fertilized the plant well, wait 30 minutes. Apply a small amount of distilled water to the top of the pot. Aim for a couple ounces of runoff from the bottom. Test this ph.

Advising people to not test or care about ph if you use dolomite lime is not smart because different mixes and water will vary from one grower to another.
 
G

Guest

If you think I advised anyone not to use dolomite in their soil mix,you read something that isnt there,if I misunderstood you sorry bout that.I think I said "balancing nute ph is always best" before I went on to say what I've observed over time using dolomite lime.Different mixes and different water is exactly the reason dolomite is so effective to buffer soil ph,or did you miss the part about running an 8.5 or 5.5 PH solution through limed soil and the neutral runoff that occurs?I'm just reporting my observations it'll be up to the individual whether they care to do a side by side or if its worth it at all.I'd like to hear from others that know what I'm talking about and experience this themselves,I actually flowered out 1 plant not paying any attention to nute ph and it turned out indistinguishable from the plants fed with a balanced nute ph.The key is when I checked runoff ph at harvest,it was still near neutral so the lime had did its job all the way through.I balance nute ph because its so simple for me and fast,I know exactly how PH up needed for each feeding in different stages.When I run outta ph up which wont be long,I'll be doing my whole grows with just dolomite and not even worry about nute ph.If it works out like I thnik it will,it'll be just another lesson learned
 
V

vonforne

Add two tablespoons of Dolomite per gallon of soil and throw the ph meter in the trash. Just check your water ph. The dolomite will buffer the soil ph
 
H

halem111

New member
thanks for the advice everyone i think ill use this method

Another method and easier way to test is called pour through. After you have watered/fertilized the plant well, wait 30 minutes. Apply a small amount of distilled water to the top of the pot. Aim for a couple ounces of runoff from the bottom. Test this ph.

and if i can find some dolamite i will use the 2 tablespoons per gallon of water

does anyone know where to get dolamite in the uk
 
G

Guest

No its 1-2 tablespoons per gallon soil mix,depending on the acidity of the medium.For promix I'd use 2 tbl,for ocean forest I'd use one.Vonforne glad to see someone else coming to their senses over this nonissue lol
 
BonsaiGrower

BonsaiGrower

Occasional User
I heard this not long ago from a non MJ grower and again this weekend from a MJ grower. I picked up some "Green Earth" organic dolomite lime and added it to my new soil mix for next round. I had PH lock-out last run with high PH tap water and that caused Cal/Mag difficiencies. The dolomite lime just so happens to be a good source of Cal/Mag too.

my rookie 2 cents is add the dolomite lime and remember how to do a soil test if someday you ever have another problem.

Peace. BG
 
P

Pimp Aurora

Active member
Should I add this garden lime to my bio-bizz compost? (+bio-bizz nutes) it's by http://www.vitax.co.uk/productshome.asp?product=HSC006 my grow shop doesn't stock dolomite lime but I found this in a garden centre, they didn't have dolomite lime so at the worst I thought I might test it on a few.. has anyone tried this or can you think of any adverse effects?
Thanks :)

edited to add, how long should I wait after adding and mixing the lime before I can use it to pot up?
 
Last edited:
G

Guest

I would use the vitax garden lime not the granulated at 1 tbls per gallon ocean forest "type" soil, or 2 tbls with promix type with more peat,Pete.
 
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